Freiburg Festivals and Seasonal Events

"Celebration and festivity are cherished in Freiburg. Hardly
a week goes by without some festival in the center of town or in one of the
neighbourhoods. The annual carnival celebration, 'Fasnet,' revives a
centuries-old tradition of masked and costumed performances in the streets.
Thirty-tree fools' guilds take part in the celebrations, and there is a
'Hemdglunker' procession which leads to the storming of the city hall."

Fasnet
(Black
Forest dialect for "Fastnacht") takes place in January or February,
depending on the year. Another popular event, the twice-yearly
Mess',
takes place in May and October. It's a hugely popular event with carnival rides,
entertainment, food and drink stands, market stalls, and and other
activities.

In late June and early July, the
Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF, or Tent Music Festival) draws thousands of
visitors to the western district of Rieselfeld. Around the same time, on the
last weekend in June, Oberlindenhock--a.k.a. the Oberlinden Street
Party--takes place in the historic center. A week later comes the
Freiburger Weinfest in the
Münsterplatz, which began in 1970 during the city's 850th birthday celebration
and has been drawing wine fanciers ever since.

Other summer celebrations include the lakeside festival of
Seenachtsfest, the
Schlossberg-Lichterfest (an outdoor festival of lights with 100,000
candles), and the Weinkost or tasting of wines from the city's own
vineyards during the month of August.

Fall
brings the autumn edition of the Mess' (see above), and then comes the
holiday season with the
Freiburg im Breisgau Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market. (Advent is
a delightful time to visit Freiburg, both for shopping and to enjoy the
atmosphere at the holiday booths of the Weihnachtsmarket and the year-round
market on the Münsterplatz.)